Intel, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and AMD have been promoting the idea of an “AI-powered PC” for months, with more and more AI-based features being added to Windows.
Microsoft has yet to release a more detailed account of its big plans for Windows AI, but Intel has already begun sharing Microsoft's requirements for building an AI-powered PC — and one of the most important of these is that an AI-powered PC must meet Microsoft's requirements.
Microsoft wants its partners to provide a combination of the latest hardware and software to realize its vision of PC AI. This includes a system with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), the latest CPUs and GPUs, and access to Copilot. You'll also need the new Copilot button on the keyboard, which Microsoft announced earlier this year.
Computer artificial intelligence requirements. Image: Intel
This requirement means that some laptops, like Asus' new ROG Zephyrus, already come with Intel's new Core Ultra chips, and are technically not AI PCs according to Microsoft's strict requirements because they don't have a Copilot dongle. But these are still AI computers in Intel's eyes.
Microsoft hopes that OEMs will simply adhere to its requirements and add the co-pilot switch over time.
Dell literally stuck a Copilot sticker on its keyboard at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year, suggesting that Microsoft's Copilot switch may have been a late addition to the show's plans.
However, it's still unclear what OEMs will get in return for committing to Microsoft's AI-enabled PC definition.
In addition to the PC AI requirements, Intel is also expanding the PC AI Accelerator program that was launched in October. It was designed to attract software developers interested in AI features for their applications, and is now being expanded to reach younger developers with the AI-powered PC Developer Program.
Intel AI PC Development Kit. Image: Microsoft
Intel will be hosting events throughout the year to help developers get used to using AI models and tools, and there's also an AI PC Development Kit, which is basically the ASUS NUC Pro 14 with pre-installed software, drivers, and developer tools.
Source: The Verge
